The field of the invention is stands and the invention relates more particularly to stands for supporting hot water heaters in a way so that the hot water heater can withstand an earthquake.
It has been determined that it is safer to support a hot water heater about 18" above a floor. In the event gasoline is spilled on a garage floor which garage has a hot water heater positioned therein, the gasoline is much less likely to explode if the hot water heater is supported about 18" or more above the floor. The vapors tend to flow along the floor and do not extend to a height of 18" in most cases.
Various stands have been devised for this purpose. One such stand is in U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,998 which is fabricated from wood. The wooden panels are rectangular and slots are provided to facilitate assembly. A metal water heater stand is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,676. This stand is assembled on site and does not have means for affixing it to a wall for seismic protection.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,368,263 and 5,685,509 show water heater stands which are fabricated from plastic which do not permit the storage of anything under the water heater stands.
Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,518 shows a clamp for holding a water heater against a wall.